Charlie Musselwhite - Continental Drifter (1999)

Charlie Musselwhite's is the voice of experience. One can hear it on every note of Continental Drifter, where the relaxed feel of the experienced bluesman is evident in the main harmonica riff of "Little Star" and the smooth, Delta-style guitar of "Blues Up the River." Several of the songs have a strong Cuban-Brazilian feel, and Musselwhite is joined on several of these by friend Eliades Ochoa and his band, Cuarteto Patria. Musselwhite's primarily known as a harmonica player, and it's easy to hear why on this album; whether he's spicing up the Cuban-blues mix of "Sabroso" or soloing over the jumpy rhythm of "Can't Stay Away from You," he's always bang on the note. --Genevieve Williams